Mull schoolchildren help create electronic guide to the island's Great Escapes

A group of Mull schoolchildren have mapped out the future of
tourism on the island by creating a series of special electronic
tours as part of the 'Great Escapes' project which officially
launched at Mull Tourist Information Centre this week.

Great Escapes, an initiative led by the National Library of
Scotland and sponsored by Crerar Hotels, involved six primary
schools on the island. The concept was inspired by the 19th century
publisher John Murray who created 'Handbook for Travellers', one of
the first ever tourist guides to be printed, and whose archive
arrived in the National Library in 2006.

Comprising a series of driving and walking tours, Great Escapes
provide people of all ages visiting Mull with a fantastic tool to
learn and discover more about the history of the island, its unique
wildlife and landscape.

The tours are audio-visual presentations with GPS (Global
Positioning Systems) which visitors can either use through a PDA
(Personal Digital Assistant) available from the Tourist Information
Centre or as a file downloaded on to a personal device such as a
mobile phone.

Routes featured include the Livingstone Walk on the Island of
Ulva, Iona Abbey, Tobermory to Dervaig, a Tobermory Village Walk,
Torosay Castle and a hill fort walk at Salen Village in both
English and Gaelic. As well as the tourist resources, the
information will also be going online along with teaching
resources.

Teri Wishart, NLS Director of Development and External
Relations, said: 'This is exactly the sort of innovative and
creative work which the library has always envisaged coming out of
the acquisition of the John Murray Archive. It?s great to see how
the archive material can tie in with new technologies in order to
serve as an inspiration to children today. It?s a wonderful
resource and I?m sure it will be used by many visitors to Mull for
years to come.'

Heather Waller, teacher at Ulva Primary School said: 'The
children have thoroughly enjoyed being part of this unique project.
It has enabled them to help create a special guide to their island,
which they know and love, and share that knowledge and admiration
with future visitors. It?s a fantastic example of being able to
make the most of iconic literary resources from the past and bring
it bang up-to-date with modern-day technology.'

Paddy Crerar, CEO of Crerar Hotels and Easy Breaks, adds: 'We
were delighted to get on board with this project. We understand the
importance of first impressions therefore being part of Mull?s very
own tourist guide created by the island?s schoolchildren seemed the
perfect way to welcome visitors with open arms.'

Dervaig, Iona, Lochdonhead, Tobermory, Salen and Ulva Primary
Schools were all involved in the project.